The threats that hide in the recesses of your mind
by arabesque28
Summary: Caroline and her friends team up with the originals to take on Esther. Putting everyone in danger, but none more so than her. Will Klaus be able to keep her safe?
1. Chapter 1

Caroline wasn't sure how or even when it happened, but somehow, Klaus managed to get under her skin. It was just a momentarily lapse of judgment she told herself. She didn't like Klaus, didn't care for him one bit. Sure, she tolerated him – she had to – since they'd been working with the originals lately, as opposed to against them. Esther was too big of a threat, and they were no match for her as long as they were divided, as Elijah so eloquently pointed out. For the time being, they were all working together, presenting a united front. That must be the reason she suddenly wasn't so adverse to Klaus, she couldn't be. What kind of team would they be if she kept treating him like dirt, add the fact that he had forgiven her involvement in the Salvatore's stupid plan the night Elena was kidnapped. She was sure there were going to be some big repercussions. However, when he showed up at her house, it wasn't to maim or kill her. All he wanted to know was why, and when she told him, he seemed relieved. Things were a little tense after that; he stopped sending her things or magically running into her. Caroline tried to feel relief, but all she felt was disappointment and loneliness. She tried throwing herself into school and events. It was her senior year after all, but it had the opposite effect. The longer she was around her peers as they planned their futures and discussed what colleges they were going to, the more alone she felt. She decided against college for the moment. Instead she wanted to go away and travel, experience life while she still had most of her humanity. She may be a vampire, but she was still Caroline, she still cared about life and humans. She didn't know how she would be once everyone she loved aged and died. They would be gone and she would be left with nothing but memories. She wondered if she would be alone on the day that she loses her last connection to her human life. It wasn't as if she could call Stefan or Damon family, sure she and Stefan were close, and Damon at times was somewhat pleasant to her, but when you don't die there's no need to stay together. She knew they wouldn't be a happy trio that traveled together; she wasn't that girly Caroline anymore. However, just because she has grown didn't mean she was good at being alone. The future scared her – more than when she was human, more than ever. Funny, but as much as she tried to ignore him and push him away, she saw him there sometimes. In her future. That scared her most of all.

He wasn't pursuing her anymore, but there were moments where she could feel his gaze. She always pretended not to notice, she knew if she gave him even a glimmer of hope it'd be all over for her. It was hard enough to stand her ground when they were enemies, now that they're partners, she wouldn't last a day. He was doing the same thing, whenever they needed to split up Klaus would always assign her to Elijah and Damon, while he'd be with Stefan and Bonnie. Rebekah and Kol consistently had the duty of staying with Elena and Alaric. No amount of whining on Rebekah's part would change Elijah or Klaus' mind. Damon's annoying nickname pulled her away from her thoughts.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" she asked Damon, hoping he didn't notice how long she had been zoned out.

"Did you hear anything that was said?" He asked incredulously. "Seriously, Blondie, what the hell is more important than this? Wait, let me guess you were planning prom in your head." Caroline just rolled her eyes. She learned long ago not to let him get to her.

"Damon, your incessant complaining is just wasting our time. Now if you'd kindly shut up I'll fill Caroline in." Elijah scolded, giving Caroline a smile. Damon rolled his eyes at the original. He didn't know why but lately Elijah has been very protective of Caroline, as if she were his progeny instead of his.

"Caroline, what Damon was saying before he lost track was that we've located Esther and Finn. But even better than that, we've located their witches. Tonight, we're going to collect them. Klaus is already following them. Bonnie was able to put a spell on him that erases his essence, so the witches won't be able to sense that he's there." Caroline was confused, when did Bonnie have time to do a spell on Klaus? They'd been meeting every day, trying to locate Esther.

"I know I zoned out for a moment but when did this happen? I mean, as of yesterday, we still had no idea as to their location." She asked trying to hide her annoyance at being left out but failed.

Elijah gave her a knowing look, "it was Klaus. He's been working overtime. Whenever he wasn't with us, he was searching and using his connections. Trust me. I had no idea until this morning when he filled me in."

Caroline was instantly worried about Klaus going after witches alone. "Why didn't he wait for us to help him? It doesn't seem too smart, going off alone to collect witches which I can only imagine are quite powerful." She said, adding a light shrug to her shoulders. She didn't want anyone to think she actually cared if something happened to Klaus, she just thought he was stupid. No one seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary about her statement, but she could see Elijah fighting a small grin.

"Well Blondie, that's the good part. Of course, you weren't listening earlier so you missed it." Damon said smugly.

Letting out a sigh, ignoring Damon, and looking at Elijah again,"lay it on me." She requested.

"Let's see if he can get it out in a hundred words or less" Damon said slightly pouting at being ignored. "He has a tendency at being wordy. Dude I know your older than dust but get with the times."

Everyday Damon became more antagonistic towards him. He refused to give the younger vampire the fight he was hoping for, he had more important issues at hand. Once he felt his family was safe, only then would he allow himself to rough up the eldest Salvatore.

"Even though we're all bonded, like my mother intended, Klaus won't die. He'll be weaker and the rest of my siblings, including myself will die. Klaus, however, will survive. His werewolf side will die, and he'd just be an original vampire once again, but he won't meet his end." He said, directing his words to Caroline. Noting that she seemed a bit relieved to find out Klaus wouldn't die.

"How did you find this out?" She asked, more confused than ever.

"Klaus knows a witch. She's very powerful, and though she refuses to help Klaus – she did offer the information as payment for a debt she owed him."

That just sounded too good to be true, "and you both trust her? For all you know she's working with Esther, and it's a trap. In which case, it's not just all of you who die, but us as well."

"You know, vampire Barbie here has a point." Damon said looking impressed.

"Your friend was kind enough to visit the witch's house, and they verified this." He said to them both.

"Is that where Bonnie's at now?" she asked.

"Yes. She's there trying to find out what else the witches are keeping from her."

She felt a little outnumbered. So far, only she and Damon were the ones participating in the discussion. Elena, Stefan, Kol and Rebekah didn't seem to have any questions or interest. "Okay, so what's the plan?" She asked everyone in the room.

"There is no plan, Caroline. Klaus will bring the witches tonight, and then he, Rebekah, and Bonnie will find out what my mother is up to."

"Wait a second," Stefan said breaking his silence. "You expect us to trust you with the witches and Bonnie after all the times you've betrayed us?"

"If I remember correctly, you were the one who had me daggered in the beginning. Had you been more trustworthy perhaps I would have ended Klaus. But like all things in life, everything happens for a reason, and I got my family back because I let him live. Add to that the fact that we wouldn't be in this predicament if you hadn't opened the last coffin or if Elena wouldn't have offered up her blood so willingly. So don't talk to me about betrayal, if Esther's plan is successful, then we will die. What do you suppose will happen to the vampires we made? Do you truly think you'll continue to live after we die? We are your makers. You wouldn't be here were it not for us. That's the problem with you and your brother, you think small, you fail to see the bigger picture. Esther hates vampires. She regrets creating us. Killing her children won't be enough to restore the balance. So in your quest to kill Klaus, you've killed our species. The only one that will remain is Niklaus."

"Stop! This isn't helping. United front remember, we need to keep working together if we're gonna stop Esther from killing us all. Now I know he's your brother but Bonnie is my best friend, and it's only fair that we have someone there with her. "

Elijah refrained from rolling his eyes, he was too old for such a gesture. "Very well, dear, if it makes you feel better than Stefan can join the others tonight." Stefan nodded his head in acceptance. "Not Stefan," Caroline interrupted.

"What? Why not me? I won't let anything happen to her." He said defensively.

"Yeah, Caroline, Stefan is the best choice." Elena said adding her two cents.

"Well then it's decided," Elijah started.

"No. Stefan can't go. Bonnie still hasn't forgiven him, or any of you, for what happened to Abbey." She said looking around the room. "I'll go. I've seen her through this rough patch, and I'll continue to."

"Care, I know you think you're helping, but you're not as strong as Stefan. He can protect her better." Elena said trying to knock some sense into her blonde friend.

"He was one-half of the decision to kill Bonnie's mom. He's not going." Stefan looked down at his feet at Caroline's words. No matter, how much he tried to act like he wasn't responsible because he wasn't the one to turn her, he was. He and Damon, they made a choice, knew the consequences and still went ahead.

Elena thought it best to keep quiet. She still felt immensely guilty about what happened to Abbey. Her friendship with Bonnie was fractured, and it was her fault.

Elijah was amused at the current tension running through what he once considered the opposition. He didn't understand the obsession over Elena. She was human. She had no interest in turning that alone should have sent the brothers running. All of this fighting and anguish over nothing. Caroline, on the other hand, was a vampire, how was she being overlooked? She may be a very young vamp, but she had the spirit and courage equal to one much older. He could see why his brother was so taken with her, why what he saw as her betrayal hurt him. What he didn't know is why he decided to give up. Klaus was never one to turn down a challenge, especially one as lovely as Caroline. He saw his brother stare at her when he thought no one was looking. He knew that even after he burned his sketches that he'd already filled up a book with more. This silent obsession concerned him. He saw a flicker of the old Klaus, the human Klaus; he didn't want to lose that. He knew if something happened to Caroline all hope of his brother returning would be gone.

"Well if Caroline is going tonight, then I will come instead of Rebekah." Elijah said coolly. Damon was the only person who thought that was odd. He didn't know why, but there was something about the way Elijah kept Caroline close that didn't sit right with him.

* * *

><p>Klaus walked into the witch's house with both witches slung over his shoulders. Grabbing them was easier than he had anticipated. This whole situation had him on edge, as much as they annoyed him, he didn't want to lose his family. If Esther had her way, he'd be truly alone. Alone and just a vampire, his hybrid side would die along with his siblings. He wouldn't let it happen. Klaus stopped in his tracks when he saw Elijah standing with Bonnie and Caroline. He had no idea what was going on, but he was not happy.<p>

"Where the hell are Kol and Rebekah?" He directed his question to Elijah. He and Caroline were still somewhat at odds, and he decided it was best to let her be and interact a little as possible with her.

Raising an eyebrow at his brother's tone, "They're home I imagine, waiting for my call, in case we need them."

Elijah's tendency to give vague answers annoyed him to no end. "Let me rephrase, but I warn you, don't make me ask again. Why are you and Caroline here instead of them?"

"Well, the group of misfits we've been working with didn't like the idea of their friend Bonnie being alone with only us, originals. I sense they don't completely trust us," he said sarcastically. "So Stefan wanted to come with, but Caroline here nixed that idea. She wouldn't allow any of the others to come in fear they'd make Bonnie uncomfortable." Bonnie looked over to Caroline and gave her a grateful smile.

"Are you mad?" Klaus yelled at Caroline, speaking directly to her in the first time in weeks.

Crossing her arms, "excuse me?" she huffed.

"I asked you, are you mad? There are two very strong witches that I presume will not take kindly to being knocked out and kidnapped. The reason I decided to have Kol and Rebekah, here is because we're strong. If something goes wrong, we can protect your friend. What the hell are you going to do? You're a fresh new vampire. You're easily killed." He yelled.

"Calm down Niklaus, that's why I came with her. I'm stronger than Kol and Rebekah. We are still evenly matched, there's no need to yell at Caroline."

"Thank you, Elijah, but I don't need you to defend my choices. I'm here for Bonnie. That's all that matters. I don't care how strong you think you are or how weak you assume I am. I'm here as support for my friend." Caroline said wanting halt the needless arguing.

Bonnie stepped forward when she saw Klaus was ready to go on another tirade.

"Look, if I'm gonna get any answers from them, then we need to move this along. I need them to stay unconscious. It's the only way I'll be able to get into their heads. Also, the spirits will not allow me to hurt them, so that means you can't either."

"Did you say we can't hurt them?" He asked incredulously. "How are we supposed to get out of here once they wake up? I don't know if you've noticed, but they're both older witches than you are."

"Thank you for pointing out the obvious, Klaus. The spirits have promised to protect us, all of us as long as we follow their conditions."

"Bloody witches," he murmured, " the only ones I trust are the ones I've compelled."

"Enough," Bonnie shouted. "I need you all to be quiet for this to work." Looking down at the two witches sprawled out on the floor, Bonnie felt a moment of guilt. She quickly pushed the feeling aside. Her mother was a vampire now, and she agreed with Elijah's thinking. Once the originals were dead it was possible that everything connected to them would die as well. That meant losing her mother and her best friend. Closing her eyes she concentrated on the witches before her, the spirits would guide her.

Caroline watched as her friend's face tensed and her body swayed. She had no idea how much power she was using for this, but she knew whenever it involved the dead witches it was always dangerous. She moved closer to Bonnie and reached out to grab her hand, hoping it wouldn't distract her or break her connection. She felt relief wash over her when Bonnie squeezed her hand.

Bonnie was lost inside one of the witches mind. She wasn't sure which witches mind she was currently invading, but the memories were fresh. She caught snippets of conversations, and flashes of Esther and Finn. She zeroed in on a particular conversation. All she could see was Esther, she was outdoors somewhere. She concentrated a little harder trying to make out her words.

"_He loves nothing more than he loves himself, but if I had to choose I'd say either Rebekah or his first hybrid as his weakness. The only way to kill him, is for him to be willing to die. If we kill all his siblings and his hybrids, he'd be truly alone in the world." _She kept talking, but Bonnie wasn't able to hold onto the memory. She took a deep breath and tried again. This time it was a different memory. Esther was with Finn. She was handing over a talisman. Bonnie looked down at the hand that held it; she pushed herself harder so she could hear what was being said. _"All we need to do is have him touch it somehow, and we'll be able to get into his head."_ Bonnie pushed a little harder. She was finally getting somewhere. She just needed a little more information; she pushed herself again, when suddenly Esther looked right at her. She knew. Bonnie's eyes shot open, and her knees gave out. Caroline caught her before she hit the ground.

Caroline helped her sit down, "What happened Bon?" Klaus and Elijah approach the two women. The crazed looked on Bonnie's face worried them both.

Bonnie looked up to the people surrounding her, "she knows what we did."

Caroline wrapped an arm around her friend hoping to comfort her. "Who knows?"

"Esther. She saw me Care. She looked right at me, and she knew. Somehow, she's connected to these witches, and she knows I saw their memories."

Klaus was not a patient man and while he tried to let the women have their moment her couldn't wait. "What did you see? Were you able to get any information?" He asked noting the slight desperation in his voice.

"Calm down, brother, allow her to catch her breath." Elijah chastised.

Bonnie shook her head and snapped out of her panic. "It's okay. I'm fine. It was just a shock." She said, making herself stand. She hated what she was about to do, but she had no choice. "Klaus, your mother knows you can't be killed, but you can die."

"Well, if that isn't vague than I don't know what is. Did you by any chance get anything more useful? I find myself too tired for riddles, dear."

Caroline didn't appreciate his tone and was about to say so, but Bonnie out up her hand to stop her from talking.

"You can't be killed, but you can die if you choose to. Esther plans on killing your family and hybrids, leaving you so alone that you'll willingly die. She mentioned that your weaknesses would most likely be Rebekah and Tyler." She said, never breaking her eye contact with him. "But we both know that's not quite true. While they both do matter to you, they're not your biggest weakness. If your mother has her way, then she will be able to see what's inside your mind." Elijah and Caroline just watched the interaction between Bonnie and Klaus, only one of them knowing what they were truly talking about.

"How is the crazy bat going to get into my head?" He asked Bonnie. To the people in the room, he seemed unaffected, but inside, he was churning. If she really could get into his mind, then Caroline would not be safe.

"She has a talisman, it's cursed. All you have to do is touch it, and it will steal your essence, once Esther has it in her possession, she'll be able to see your memories, thoughts, dreams, and desires. Nothing would be secret from her." He glanced quickly to Caroline, who seemed a little lost, funny, she was the only one. Elijah, on the other hand, was giving him meaningful glances. He knew what his brother was thinking. Esther had to die and soon.

"What do we do with the witches?" Elijah asked, wishing they could just kill them.

Bonnie thought about it for a moment. A part of her wanted to kill them, but she knew she couldn't. Not only couldn't she kill her kind, but she made a promise to the spirits.

"Is your compulsion stronger than Esthers?" She asked Elijah.

"His isn't but mine is." Klaus said, "however, dear mommy is a vampire witch. I'm sure she could reverse it."

"She could, if she could find them. Compel them to leave the state and to stop practicing magic. I image your family is rich enough to finance their move. I need you to put a time limit on the compulsion, six months, in six months, they'll remember they're witches, but they won't remember Esther. Can you do that? I don't have enough time to find a spell that erases memories. Once they're compelled I'll put a protection spell on them so Esther can't easily find them."

"Consider it done," he said, giving her a quick wink. Caroline rolled her eyes at his nonchalant attitude. Nothing ever fazed him. She watched as Klaus lifted one of the witches, Elijah went to grab the other but Klaus stopped him. "Escort the ladies' home, I'll take care of this."

"Very well," he wasn't surprised at his brothers request. He knew Klaus wanted nothing more than to make sure Caroline was safe.

"Klaus, you should take them out one by one. The spirits are keeping them passed out, but once you leave the house they'll wake up. You may be un-killable, but they'll be easier to manage separately." Bonnie told him, not sure why she felt the need to warn him.

"Noted and thank you."

Caroline couldn't help but look back at him as Elijah led them out. She knew he'd be fine, that nothing could get him, but she still worried. She gave him a small smile as she walked through the door. He didn't return it.

* * *

><p><em>I'm fairly new to TVD, started watching this season after catching the first two seasons on Netflix. I assumed that it was going to be awful and a lot like twilight (which I am not a fan of), but my friend convinced me to give it a chance since I love vampires. While I am not a lover of the main characters, except Damon when he was bad, I love Caroline, and feel like Bonnie has such potential but is extremely under used. I hope you enjoy this.<em>


	2. Chapter 2

Klaus walked into his home agitated. The information Bonnie gave him had him more on edge than the lingering threat of his sibling's lives. The thought of Esther getting into his head concerned him so much that he had to compel the witches twice, because he kept forgetting things. This was not normal. He couldn't allow himself to get off track simply because he fancied Caroline. He understood why he was attracted to her, she was beautiful; perhaps the most beautiful girl in Mystic Falls. However, he had known women more beautiful, and he knew more existed outside of this small town. Even so, if he were being honest, she would have caught his eye even if she wasn't as lovely to look upon. She had something that no other woman he'd ever met could compete with, spirit. For being so young (not only in vampire years but in human years), she was remarkably strong. She was outspoken and she never hesitated telling him was what truly on her mind, add to that the fact that she had the ability to love those around her, even though in his opinion some of them didn't deserve it. Tonight she'd shown another one of her traits, loyalty. She stood there with her friend even though it was not the safest option for her. It was one of the reasons he was able to forgive her part in the plan to kill them. He knew she was loyal to her friends. They were very much like her family. A part of him hoped that perhaps one day she'd feel that loyalty towards him. After all if he and his sibling made it out of this situation alive, he'd have nothing but time to make her want him. But he didn't have the luxury to plan for the future he needed to concentrate on his survival.

He needed a glass of blood, he fed on his way home but he could use a bit more sustenance before turning in for the night. Unfortunately, his hopes of a quick drink and rushing off to bed were dashed when he encountered Elijah sitting in his study, casually flipping through his sketch pad.

Ignoring his brother he walked over to his bar, poured himself a drink, and took the seat across from Elijah. "You know brother, it's rude to go through other people's private things."

Elijah continued flipping through the pages of Klaus' pad. "If it were so private, then it should have been kept in your room. As far as I'm concerned this is a shared space. Therefore, anything inside of it is accessible for everyone."

"You forget, this is my house," he said tipping back his glass and finishing his blood. "You and the others are guests. Normally, guests are a bit more respectful."

"This house may be yours, but we are inhabiting it. Furthermore, privacy, respect, and consideration are not something you normally get from siblings." He closed the pad and passed it over to Klaus. "But I know it's hard for you to remember that considering you've hade most of them daggered for almost a century."

Klaus played with the edges of the pad allowing Elijah's words to sink in. It wasn't the first time they had this conversation, and it wouldn't be last. At least until he apologized, which he doubted he would. "This conversation is getting old Elijah. I suggest we either discuss something else, or we should both retire. After all it has been a trying evening."

"I must agree with you there, trying it has been. I saw Bonnie and Caroline home, in case you were wondering." He added the last part try to gauge his brother's reaction.

Klaus made sure to keep his reaction neutral. He knew Elijah was privy to his feelings for Caroline. He didn't want to give him any more ammunition. "I neverdoubted you. The witches are on their way to someplace remote. I'm not sure where, I didn't want to know just in case good ol'mother managed to mind rape me."

"Speaking of that, I don't think it's smart to leave Caroline alone at her house with only her mother for protection. Let's face it, the sheriff couldn't do anything against Finn or Esther. Even without an invitation she'll find a way of getting her."

"Don't worry. I've been thinking about that, and I think I found a solution, but I need to talk to Bonnie tomorrow. You would think with all the supernatural going-ons in this town there'd be more than one witch." Klause said, sounding somewhat resigned at the fact he needed to work with Bonnie.

Elijah's curiosity was peaked. "What are you going to ask of her?"

"You'll find out when we visit her tomorrow. For now, I think you're right. Perhaps Caroline should stay with the double mint twins."

"The what twins?" He asked, trying to find the reference somewhere in his mind.

"Really Elijah, all that time we were apart did you never watch TV?"

"TV is a just a distraction that manages to deteriorate your mind. Plus, I spent years hunting you down, there was nothing more important."

"Well tomorrow we'll hop on you tube and I'll show you. But I was referring to the Salvatore brothers."

"I know to whom you were referring. I simply didn't get the refrence. I don't think Caroline should stay with them. They both have their heads so far up Elena's ass that they'd be crap at keeping Caroline safe. No, I'm thinking she should either stay here with us, or we could set her up in a remote area with either me and Bonnie or you and Bonnie. That way, she'll have the protection of a witch and one of us."

Klaus couldn't handle being near her and he didn't exactly like the idea of her being alone with Elijah. "Here is not a good idea. We can put her elsewhere. Why you? We could send her Rebekah. She's strong enough."

"She's too emotional, mother would be able to manipulate her."

"It may not be necessary. We'll wait until I talk to the witch tomorrow, if what I'm thinking of works, then Caroline won't need to leave her home."

Elijah wished Klaus would clue him in on his plan. "Is this idea of yours going to eliminate mother?"

"No, but it'll prevent Caroline being used a pawn in her games." He said vaguely.

Elijah decided to try a different approach. "Seems like a waste of time, making Bonnie use more of her limited power for the sake of Caroline. We should be putting all out efforts into stopping our potential demise."

"Don't you mean your demise? I see now. You don't mind sacrificing Caroline for your own gain. I don't blame you if there's anything I know its survival. However, if you even think of using Caroline for your benefit, I'll kill you myself." Klaus realized that he had just given himself away. His obsession with the blonde vampire was addling his mind. His only option at the moment was a quick retreat. "Goodnight, brother."

Elijah watched Niklaus walk out, a smile playing on his face. He had a feeling his family would survive this, except for Finn and Esther. Caroline would be well protected. He'd see to it. She was, after all bringing back the Klaus he remembered back.

* * *

><p>Bonnie didn't know what to think when she greeted Elijah and Klaus at her door. Neither of the vampires had an invitation to her home and there weren't about to get one.<p>

"Would it be futile to ask you to invite us in?" Klaus asked, a small smirk playing on his face. If he were any other man Bonnie mind have found his dimpled smile charming, but this was Klaus.

They may be forced to work together, but they were in no way friends. Crossing her arms and leaning against her front door, mindful of staying just enough inside so they couldn't snatch her out. "I'm not inviting you in, so you may as well tell me why you're here."

Before Klaus could formulate what Elijah was sure to be a scathing remark, he cut in. "Klaus has an idea on how to protect Caroline from our mother, but he needs your help." Hoping that the mention of her friend would soften her a bit.

Though both originals made her uncomfortable, Elijah was more diplomatic and easier to communicate with. "Okay, what was your idea?"

Klaus looked around feeling a bit uneasy about taking about this outside her house. "If you won't let us in, is there somewhere we can go to speak. I don't trust that we won't be overheard."

She thought about it for a moment, it was a risk but it may be well worth it. "Meet me at the old witch house. I'm going to grab my grimore and meet you there." They were both gone before she was able to finish her sentence.

* * *

><p>"I need to make a quick stop," Klaus shouted behind him to Elijah. He hoped that Elijah would proceed to the witch house alone, but he knew he knew better.<p>

Elijah had no idea where Klaus was going, but he had no intention of letting him out of his sight. He was surprised when they arrived at the Forbes residence. Klaus made quick work of jumping up to a second floor window and letting himself in. Elijah didn't have an invitation to enter, so he decided to watch from the window sill. He didn't know what Klaus was looking for, but noticed the frantic look on his brother's face. Klaus visibly relaxed a bit after searching through one of the night stand drawers. He watched as his brother removed a black velvet box and what looked like a small note. "Have you resorted to stealing from women you're courting now, Niklaus?"

Klaus turned towards Elijah. The smug bastard was sitting on the tiny edge of the sill, looking ridiculously arrogant. "If you must know, I'm taking back a couple of things I gave her. I can't seem to find the other though."

"Why are you stealing her gifts?" he asked curiously. It made no sense.

"I can't have her remembering," he muttered from her closet. He grabbed a small duffle from her shelf and shoved the dress he bought her in it. He managed to find the bracelet with the note, dress, and gloves. The only thing that was missing was the drawing. He couldn't keep wasting time. He had to go. She must have thrown it away the night he left it there. The thought of her discarding it so easily made him uneasy, but he did anger her that night. He resigned himself to the fact that she obviously threw it away.

"Let's go," was all he said as he let himself of her window.

Realization came over Elijah when he heard Klaus say he didn't want her to remember. He couldn't believe what his brother was about to do. "I know what you're doing. Please, just think about it for a moment. There has to be another way. I don't want to see you lose her and these feelings you've acquired."

"It must be done. It's the only way to protect her. It would be worse if something happened to her because of me. I wouldn't be able to live with that, and that is exactly what our mother wants."

"What about the others? Don't you think they'll find it odd that you no longer remember Caroline? Not to mention how angry they'll be when they discover that she's been compelled."

"That's another thing. I haven't compelled her. I don't think I can. I need you to do it for me."

Elijah knew when he was fighting a losing battle. "This is a very bad idea. Very bad."

"It's the only one I have, and we don't have time for anything else." Klaus didn't want to argue his mind was made up.

"I will compel her for you, but I think this will back fire."

"Duly noted. Just compel her to forget the things I bought her, the dance and conversations we've shared. To her I am just Klaus, the hybrid that killed Jenna, turned Tyler, terrorized Elena, and took Stefan away from his family. Now, she deals with me because we are forced to work together."

"You want her to hate you." He asked surprised.

"Yes, it'll make it easier for all of us."

"Perhaps that's what you think, but I'm not so sure. She hated you before, and she still managed to care for you. I see the way she looks at you and how she's not sure how to act when you're around. She tries to fight it, but it's there Klaus. She cares for you… she can care for you again."

"I won't be the same man. The man you say she supposedly cares for was a watered-down version of Niklaus. He was a man who wanted nothing more than to earn her approval, to make her smile. Once Bonnie erases her from my memories, he'll be gone." His voice was low and solemn.

"He'll never be gone, just hidden. I will help you, regardless of my opinions."

The moment Elijah promised to help him, he couldn't help but flash back to the moment they buried their mother. That was the moment that Elijah, Rebekah and him really started living. "Promise me that you'll protect her, no matter what. After today, I'll no longer care, but you must for the both of us."

"You have my word. I will watch over Miss. Forbes and make sure she survives this." He didn't know who would emerge after today. Would it a be a version of this Niklaus, one more like the brother he lost a thousand years ago, or the cruel uncaring Klaus. No matter who emerged, Elijah knew there was hope.

"Thank you, Elijah. You have no reason to help me beyond killing mother."

"You're my brother, you always will be – no matter what. We may quarrel and at times hate one another, but we're family and we love each other."

"That is true." He remembered now why he was so angry when Stefan stole his family. This is what he wanted to be reunited, truly reunited.

Bonnie pulled up in her car at that moment. Although she was uneasy about being alone with the two vampires, she knew the witches inside the house would protect her. She grabbed her grimore and walked up to the two brothers, "follow me." She said walking past them and into the house.

Klaus and Elijah dutifully followed behind her until they reached the basement. They watched as she set up candles in a large circle.

"So do either of you plan on filling me in, or are we gonna have to play a guessing game?" She asked from her spot on the floor.

"Guessing games sound like fun, but I haven't the time, darling. I need you to erase Caroline from my memories." He said coolly as he placed himself within the circle.

Bonnie looked at Klaus trying to figure out whether or not he was serious. "Please tell met this isn't your great plan to protect Caroline." She crossed her arms and looked to Elijah for help.

"I'm afraid he's quite serious." Elijah said.

"Okay. Don't you think people will find it odd when you don't remember her? Don't you think she'll find it odd? Come on now, let's think this through."

"I have thought it through, and it's simple. Elijah will compel Caroline to forget certain things just like you will do to me. As for the rest of your friends, feel free to tell them that you cast a spell, and it went wrong."

Bonnie hoped he was joking, but she had a feeling he was being quite serious. "Wait, you want me to take the fall for your memory loss? Are you crazy, why would I do that?"

"Because you're helping Caroline. The only person who was with you when your mother was in transition, because you know there is no other way. No one can protect her fully against my mother." He told her exasperated .

"I know it's a lot to ask, and I understand why you're not inclined to help him, but he has a point. This is perhaps the first time since he was human that he's doing something selfless. The old Klaus would have allowed Caroline to be used as bait and die. He really does care, Bonnie." Elijah told her trying to smooth things over.

Bonnie took Elijah's words to heart. She couldn't let anything happen to Caroline and as much as she hated Klaus, she loved her friend. Letting out a breath, she grabbed her grimore and searched for the spell she needed. This would be the second time she was taking a dive into someone's head, except this time, there would be no barriers. She couldn't help but think about the power she was about to wield. He was allowing her access to what Esther wanted more than anything. She should, as a witch, want to use this moment to her advantage, but this was more than just Klaus. It was Caroline, and she'd do anything to keep her safe. As much as she hated that she was allowing them to compel her friend, she hoped that once Esther was out of the picture Caroline would find it in her heart to forgive her.

"Can we get on it with it already, my lovely enchantress." Bonnie's face scrunched up at Klaus's attempt at being charming. "First things first. I'm going to help you but I have conditions."

Klaus leaned his head back against the floor and closed his eyes. "Of course you do, you're a witch after all. What will it be? An old talisman, a pint of my blood, a million dollars?"

"How about you being a little more grateful and a little less of a condescending ass?"

"Children, please, can we get on with this?" Elijah asked, interrupting their bickering.

Bonnie blew out a breath, frustrated that she allowed him to get her worked up. "Conditions… first your humanity stays on, you can't turn it off. Second, Elijah compels Caroline to forget you completely. I can't have you erases just certain parts of her memory when we're removing her completely from yours. I will come up with an explanation as to why you both have memory loss."

"Elijah, would you like to tell her or shall I?" Klaus asked not moving from his spot on the floor.

Elijah started to pace in front of the circle trying to figure out how to verbalize his thoughts. Stopping and facing a very confused Bonnie, he decided to be frank and quick.

"I know Elena explained to you about how Klaus and I made up the sun and the moon curse. When you've lived as long as we have, knowing that you can't die, knowing you can be a part of history – you get creative. When you transition into a vampire everything is magnified. When we started turning people, they felt immense guilt after killing. The guilt was so strong that many of them ended their own lives. We started compelling our new vampires to push the emotion aside. Of course we knew the new vampires wouldn't be able to compel those they sired. Instead we told them they could shut off their emotions, push their humanity aside. Vampires, just like people, if you tell them something they want to believe then it becomes their reality. Before we knew it our kind was multiplying. So you see there is no switch, there is no humanity off or on button. The humanity is always there and it can always be ignored." Bonnie didn't want to believe Elijah's words but she knew they were true.

"So you see your saintly vampire friends the Salvatores, everything they do and have ever done has been of their own accord. Sure they believed they were off, but the truth is, deep down you know. We can all make excuses for being evil, we all have our reasons. But live as long as us and you'll find that sometimes you're evil and sometimes you're not." Klaus added.

Bonnie had a lot to think about later. She didn't know if she should share this information with anyone just yet. "Okay, well my other condition applies. Since you have no switch then I'm counting on Elijah to keep you in check."

"You have my word that I will keep Klaus in line."

"Yeah, yeah, let's get on with it."

"Just stay as you are and relax." Bonnie told him.

Klaus tried to relax as Bonnie chanted outside of the circle, but it was futile. He could feel Bonnie accessing his memories, and he instinctively wanted to fight it.

Bonnie was confused this was different from the time she was in the minds of the witches. They were easier, their memories fresh. Klaus' thoughts and memories were a jumbled mess going back a thousand years. She could feel the moments when he tried to fight off her invasion, only to feel him pull himself back. Some of his memories were truly terrifying and a part of her felt for him, but other were so awful and gruesome she couldn't help but think he deserved death. When she finally got to the memories of Caroline, she was reluctant to take them away. Out of the few things, she saw in a sea of hurt, anger, revenge and genuine evil – Caroline was the happiest thing there. She felt Klaus finally relax and she knew that he was unconscious. As she finished her spell to remove the memories, she realized how much she'd missed in Caroline's life. They had all been so busy trying to protect Elena from the originals that none of them realized how involved their friend was getting with one of them. She wanted to keep going. She wanted to look further into his mind and see more of it, she'd never get the chance again. But she felt herself growing weak, and she knew that she was tapping out her powers. She pulled herself out of his mind once she removed what he wanted.

She opened her eyes to Elijah holding out a handkerchief to her. "Your nose is bleeding."

She accepted it, wiping the blood from her face. "Thank You."

"Are you okay? You seem a bit dazed."

"I just need a moment your brother's head is an intense place."

Her comment made him smile, "don't I know it. I'm going to run him home, if he wakes up here, he would ask too many questions. I'll be back to escort you home before going to see Caroline." He said as he picked his brother up off the floor and flung him over his shoulder.

"I'm going with you to see Caroline. I'm going to be there when you compel her."

Elijah looked back to Bonnie, "you don't trust me."

"Nothing personal but my experience with vampires has taught me not to."

"Fair enough, I'll be right back." He was gone before she could form a response. She knew he was fast, and if he wasn't back in ten minutes, she was driving over to Caroline's herself.


	3. Chapter 3

In the core of her being she knew this was wrong. To knowingly allow Elijah to compel her best friend, was a betrayal on her part. If the roles were reversed, she knew it'd be hard for her to forgive. She was only doing this to protect her, she kept telling herself. After losing her grams, and her mom being turned into a vampire, she wasn't willing to lose Caroline. Somehow, over the past few months she replaced Elena's role in her life. Stefan and Damon would always be Elena's main concern, and even though their friendship was still strained – she understood. Love tromped friendship, as much as people liked to fool themselves, that it wasn't that way. It was. While most people could find a balance between the two, Elena wasn't in a normal situation trapped between two men, who happen to be brothers. After everything, she still loved her childhood friend and always would. However, they could never go back to being the way the were, but perhaps, after sometime they'd find a good new balance. As she drifted away from Elena, Caroline proved herself to be a strong reliable and constant person in her life. At the moment, she was so scared of losing her, she willingly went along with Klaus' plan. She felt if anyone could forgive it was Caroline. She hoped that still held true when all of this was over. Because the moment Esther was no longer a threat, she had every intention of giving Caroline her memories back, she had the spell to do it.

So far, the car ride to Caroline's house was silent. She peeked over to Elijah and wondered if he was annoyed at having to be in a car, when he could have gotten there faster by running. She was hesitant to trust him seeing as he had betrayed them in the past. She was going to make sure she kept an eye on him just as she would keep Caroline close to her.

Elijah caught her quick looks and didn't miss the furrow of her brow. She was obviously conflicted – not that he could blame her. He truly did feel bad for his part of her misery, and though he knew she'd never believe it. He would've found another way if he had the time. It was always the witches that suffered the most when they involved themselves with vampires. The only way to escape such fate was to release their powers, which most refused to do.

He suddenly felt the need to break the silence and attempt to put her at ease. " I can feel your unease, and it's understandable. You should know that before you took Klaus's memories I promised him to protect Caroline."

Bonnie turned to him and gave him a withering look. "Caroline can take care of herself; she is a vampire. Plus, she'll have me to help her."

Elijah didn't want to laugh at her comments but what chance did they have against an original vampire and the original witch. "Well, then I guess I will have to protect both of you. I made a promise to my brother, one I intend on keeping."

Bonnie wished he was susceptible to mind aneurisms, but for some reason, he along with Klaus was unaffected. "Shouldn't you be more concerned about finding your mother and brother? You should dedicate yourself to finding them and let Caroline, and I take care of ourselves."

"Klaus will be searching for them, and I'm assuming he'd take Kol with him. So you see my only concern is you ladies."

If he wasn't a vampire and an old one at that, she'd almost find him charming. "What about Elena? She's gonna need protection. She is after all the Doppelganger. She is the key to Klaus's hybrids. Without her, he can't continue to build his new race."

Elijah held Elena in high esteem, but found it disappointing that she was following in the same steps as the two before her. Perhaps that was fate, for the Doppelganger to always be torn between two men to the point of destruction. "Elena is well protected with Stefan, Damon, and recently Rebekah protecting her. Anyhow, don't you think it's time people start thinking of the survival of someone other than Elena. How about your survival, Caroline's, or Matt's? Are your lives less valuable?" He didn't know where the question came from, but now he was truly curious. Why was everyone so willing to protect this one girl at the risk of their own lives? He understood Damon and Stefan's standpoint, but not the others. Tatia and Katerina didn't have anyone willing to die for them.

Bonnie never thought of it. They protected Elena cause, they loved her. She was like family. But it was true, to save her time and time again the sacrifices became more and more heartbreaking. "You protect those you love. I think you of all people should understand that."

"I do. I protect those I love, but I don't ignore my own existence while doing it. I protect myself along with my loved ones. That's where your group gets it wrong. Even after a thousand years there are still things I have yet to experience and see, and the beautiful thing about it… there will always be something new to learn and experience. So even when protecting my own, I make sure my life is secure. There is nothing wrong with self-preservation." He said, sensing that he may have overstepped a bit with her. They were not friends, after all.

Bonnie wanted to just brush off his words, but they made sense to her on some level. She had yet to really experience anything, other than things that have to do with the supernatural world which usually led to death. Sometimes she wondered if she'd be alive long enough to graduate. His comments made her aware of the flaws in her decisions and that made her uncomfortable. He was a vampire. His insight shouldn't have any effect on her. She was glad when she pulled up to Caroline's house, the conversation made her feel trapped and confused. She just wanted to be done with all this.

"We're here," she said, grabbing her handbag on the floor by his feet. She missed his smile at her obvious discomfort.

The front door opened before they reached it. Caroline stood in the entry way looking confused. "Did I forget you guys were coming over?"

Her friend seemed to be in good spirits, but that wasn't odd for Caroline. She always managed to make the best out of even the most desperate situations. "No this is an impromptu visit," she said walking right into the house. She heard Elijah clear his throat behind her. "Hey Care, can you…" she was interrupted by Caroline inviting Elijah in.

Of all the originals Elijah was the most formidable, in Caroline's opinion. "I hope when this is all over you don't take advantage of the invitation and try to kill me."

"Don't worry our days of war are long over. I bear no ill will towards you or any of your friends. Except, perhaps, Damon at times." He added the last part hoping she'd take it as a joke.

"Oh don't I know it! Sometimes I want to kill Damon. I can't believe I ever dated him." She said off handedly.

Her comment took Elijah by surprise. "You dated Damon?" He asked not masking his distaste.

Caroline laughed at his disgusted expression. "Yeah, but I was human, and he compelled me for most of our relationship, if you can call it that."

"He compelled you to date him or to allow him to feed from you?"

"Both. At first, I was totally into him, cause he's hot. But when I woke up with a bloody neck, I freaked out and tried to run away from him. After that he basically compelled me to trust him, let him feed from me, and to give him information." She said nonchalantly.

Elijah wondered if she had forgiven Damon for his transgression, or if she just tried to forget it. He didn't like Damon and wanted to condemn him, but as a vampire himself, he also relied on compulsion many times. The only difference was he never had to compel a woman to be in his company. "Now that you're a vampire, he can no longer control you."

"Oh, I know. Anyhow, I kicked his ass a couple of times, and that felt pretty good."

"I'm sure it did." He said, smiling. He could see why Klaus was drawn to her, there seemed to be an aura of positivity around her. He noticed that Bonnie didn't contribute to the conversation, and he knew she was feeling guilty. He decided to take the seat beside her trying to show solidarity.

Caroline looked between her best friend and Elijah. It was odd that they were here together. She'd been waiting for the ball to drop since they arrived. She wasn't sure how but she knew this had to do with Klaus, and the possibilities made her nervous. He wasn't dead cause Elijah was still walking around. "So… do you guys want to tell me what's going on?" She asked them.

Bonnie hadn't been able to look her friend in the eyes since getting here. She felt so awful for what she was about to do.

Elijah waited for Bonnie to explain things to her friend. It was what they agreed on, and he would allow her the time to do so.

"Care, Klaus came to see me today because Esther has found a way of getting into his head." She started, noticing Caroline seemed confused. "You see; she wants to find out what Klaus cares for, so she can destroy it. By doing that she feels she'll be successful in killing the rest of the originals leaving Klaus alone. At that point, he'd have nothing to live for."

"Why would she need to get into his head for that? It's obviously Rebekah, no offense Elijah." She added hoping there'd be no jealousy.

He smirked at her comment, "none taken."

"It's not Rebekah. She has every intention of killing all her children, but as we know Klaus won't die. He'll just become a regular vampire, the only vampire. Their suspicions were right, by wiping out the originals the rest of the vampires will die too."

Caroline was tired of Esther. She wanted her dead and soon. "So we need to get her soon before she finds more witches to get rid of her kids. I'm not ready to go yet. I'm not leaving my mom behind or you, Matt, or Elena. Not yet."

"Yes, well it'll take Esther time to find a new witch with a mother-daughter connection since she's in hiding. In the meantime, Klaus has taken some measures to prevent her from using certain people besides his family to hurt him."

"Bon, just tell me what you're trying to say. You've been dancing around the issue here."

"Okay. It's you, Care. Klaus has come to care for you and if Esther was to find that out, she'd use you to get to him."

Caroline was shaking her head. "No you're wrong. Klaus doesn't care about me, sure he had a little crush, but he doesn't even talk to me anymore. He doesn't have any feelings for me."

"Right, just like you don't care for him?" Bonnie asked.

"I don't. I mean come on he's caused us a lot of pain. Sure, he's charming and all, but he's like a million years old, after all that time he'd better be charming." She said clearly agitated. She thought she did a good job hiding her little crush on the hybrid, but apparently Bonnie picked up on it. "Is this really a conversation to be having in front of his brother?" She asked Bonnie, feeling a little embarrassed hoping Elijah wasn't a gossip.

"You can count on my discretion." Elijah offered

"Care, calm down and listen," she said standing up and walking over to her friend. "Klaus did care about you, so much that he asked me to do a spell and remove you from his memories so you'd be safe."

"What? You erased me from his memories? What is everyone going to think when he can't remember me? This will never work, Bonnie."

"I'm going to tell them that when I was reading the witches' minds the other night, something went wrong and you and Klaus lost your memories of each other."

"Come on Bonnie, you know I'm a horrible liar!" She said, noticing Bonnie's guilt-ridden expression for the first time. She had a feeling she knew what was next, but she was no match for either of them.

"You won't be lying because you won't remember him." She heard Bonnie say quietly, her voice cracking and her eyes welling up with tears.

"No. I hated being compelled when I was human. Don't make me go through that again, please." She begged, holding back her tears not wanting to cry in front of the person who was about to compel her.

"I'm so so sorry. I hope when this is over you can forgive me."

"No! You can't! You're taking away my choices my free will. You can't do this you're supposed to be my friend." She yelled, no longer fighting her tears.

"I'm just trying to keep you safe. I'm sorry." She said walking away, not wanting to be present when Elijah compelled her.

Elijah was in front of Caroline before she could turn around to run. He grabbed her arms to keep her from running. "I'm sorry Caroline." Was all he said before his pupils started to dilate.

He found her sitting on the porch steps. "I placed her in her bed. When she wakes up she won't remember Klaus, or that she's angry with you."

Bonnie looked up at Elijah and couldn't help the swirling anger she felt. The anger wasn't directed at him. He, like her, had no choice. Her anger was towards Esther and how her quest to destroy her own children, had destroyed the people Bonnie loved most. "I want to kill your mother."

"So do I. Come, I'll accompany you home. Tomorrow will be a big day of explanations to the rest of your friends and my family." Bonnie got up and followed him to her car. She was glad he wasn't trying to comfort her. She didn't want comfort.

* * *

><p>Caroline woke up the next morning she couldn't remember falling asleep the night before. She must have been exhausted since she was still wearing the jeans and top she had on yesterday. She started getting her clothing together to shower when her cell phone chimed. It was a text message from Bonnie telling her there was a meeting at the boarding house at noon. Maybe they had some new intel on Esther, cause as far as she could remember they weren't supposed to meet today. She sped to her shower she only had an hour before the meeting.<p>

Elena asked Bonnie to explain to her again why Klaus and Caroline couldn't remember each other.

"I don't know, Elena. I think it may have been the witches. One of them were probably trying to erase what I was seeing and somehow it bounced off me and only affected Klaus and Caroline. I'm looking for a spell to reverse it, but for the time being, we need to pretend like they've never met before. If they find out their memories have been altered it could be dangerous for them both." She said, with an air of conviction so no one would questioned her further.

"Klaus is stronger than what you give him credit for. It's not as if telling him he's lost his memories is going to drive him mad." Rebekah added from her spot on the couch. Not bothering to look up from the nail she was filing.

"We are aware of that, Rebekah, but Caroline is a new vampire. The news may affect her negatively. Furthermore, do you really want Klaus worrying about his memories, instead of focusing on finding mother?" Elijah asked his sister.

Looking up from her nails, she shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose you're right. He would obsess. But after we find mother if Bonnie hasn't found a reversal spell I'm telling."

"When that time comes I'll tell him myself." Elijah said.

Stefan didn't doubt Bonnie's accounting of what happened, but he wasn't sure how things would play out. "So how do we explain one to the other?" He asked.

Bonnie still didn't feel part of the group like she used to before Damon killed her mother, but she was trying to work through it. "It's simple. Care and Klaus were told to be here at noon, once they arrive we're going to introduce them to each other."

"Just one second, witchy." Damon interrupted, "you're saying we're all gonna be like, Blondie; this is the killer hybrid Klaus; who you don't know, but we're working together. Klaus, this is vampire barbie Caroline, she's Elena and Bonnie's best friend. You haven't met each other cause you're both conveniently doing something else when the other is around?"

"Will there ever be a moment when you take anything seriously? Or are you so completely in-love with your own voice that you have to spew out garbage just to listen to yourself?" Elijah asked, no longer able to hide his agitation with the elder Salvatore.

Damon seemed pensive for a moment and right when he was opening his mouth, Stefan cut in. "Enough you two. I know Damon's a pain in the ass, but he did have a point. How are we going to explain them to each other? They're going to be suspicious."

"Bonnie and I have that worked out. I will explain to Klaus that Caroline has been mentioned to him in passing, but that she had been dealing with the loss of her father and just returned. Bonnie will tell Caroline that Klaus has been tracking Esther and just got back. With everything going on Klaus won't be asking questions. Survival is his only concern." He explained, looking at Bonnie for confirmation.

"Elijah is right. Care has so much going on at home and with Tyler, she's not gonna care about Klaus. Anyhow, she does remember he killed Jenna, and he's a hybrid. Just as far as she knows she's never met him." She added.

"This has disaster written all over it. Come on you guys, you know those excuses are weak." Elena added, was she the only one who had a problem with her friend's memory being erased. "How do we know this isn't Esther's doing? We all know Klaus had a thing for Caroline. What if she's done this to hurt us? Have you even given that possibility a thought?" She asked genuinely concerned.

Elena was much smarter than people gave her credit for. If she only knew how close, but far she was from the truth, Elijah and Bonnie both thought.

"We're just going to have to make it work. Our main objective is finding Esther before she annihilates the vampire population. It won't matter what Caroline and Klaus remember if Esther succeeds." Bonnie said in hopes that Elena would drop it.

"I suggest we move on to other things, If I know my brother, then he'll be early." Elijah said looking around the room for where Damon keeps the alcohol.

"Knowing Caroline, she'll be late." Elena added. Bonnie smiled at her comment. Caroline was always late. The minutes felt like hours, everyone was a bit on edge. This threw a wrench in their plans, just another obstacle holding them back.

"My, my, well isn't this the most somber group of people I've ever seen." Klaus's voice broke everyone away from their thoughts. Klaus took a moment to absorb the scene in front of him. Rebekah was on one side of the couch filing her nails; Damon was sitting between her and Elena. Stefan was pacing behind them. Kol was leaning against the wall reading a magazine, and Bonnie and Elijah were seated next to each other in chairs facing the couch. Alric was in the back of the room busy sharpening his tools. It was odd this new union they had. Everyone together in one room and there was no blood on the walls. How boring.

"Well the meeting cannot commence until everyone has arrived." Elijah said dryly from his seat.

"I happen to be five minutes early. It's not quite noon yet."

"Yes, well the rest of us managed to get here much quicker." Klaus was not in the mood to spare with Elijah. In fact, he wasn't in the mood for a bloody meeting. He woke this morning feeling odd, like something was missing.

Klaus walked over to Elijah and grabbed the drink out of his hand. "Well I have arrived, let the meeting commence." He said downing his brothers drink.

"Not yet Klausy, we're waiting on one more person to arrive." Damon said, looking smug at knowing something the hybrid didn't.

Klaus looked around one more time counting everyone. "Everyone I know of is here, who else are we waiting for?" He asked not liking to be left out of anything.

"Nik, remember when you were doing the ritual to break the curse?" Rebekah asked.

"Of course I remember, how could I forget a night so fruitful."

"Well remember how you said you had a vampire and werewolf, but Damon freed them?"

"Good god Rebekah, get to the point already."

"The vampire you were going to originally sacrifice, she's the one we're waiting for." She said, looking to see if that information would jog his memory. But his face remained blank.

Looking to Damon and Stefan, "why haven't we met her before? Why is she being involved now?"

Stefan knew Klaus was quick to temper, and they didn't need any more setbacks. "She had been going through a lot and her father recently died. We've been keeping her informed, and she's been helping as much as possible without being here. Now she's ready to come back. Besides Rebekah and Kol have met her, they all go to school together. Elijah met her the first time he came to town, so she's not a stranger."

This felt suspicious, something wasn't right. "I don't think I like the idea of involving someone new in our plans. I don't care who knows her."

"She's not new. She's just been absent." Elijah said, hoping his brother would stop asking questions.

"Besides, she's one more vampire to help us find Esther." Bonnie said.

Klaus let out a petulant breath, "fine. Have it your way. Well, what is her name?"

The sound of the front door closing ceased all conversations. Klaus watched as a young blonde vampire zoomed into the room. Giving everyone a guilty smile, "sorry I'm late guys. I woke up this morning feeling weird."

Damon's eyebrows raised, "new day, new excuse for always being late, Caroline."

"Oh shut up Da – who are you?" She asked the man standing next to Elijah.

Klaus gave her an insolent smile, perhaps things wouldn't be so bad. After all there was someone new to torture, and she was quite beautiful. "I'm Klaus, love, and we would have met before if Damon hadn't freed you. I'm glad he did. You are far too pretty to die so young."

Caroline eyed the hybrid in front of her. He wasn't what she was expecting at all. She assumed he'd be older and meaner looking, not young and attractive.

"You're Klaus," she asked eyeing him up and down. "Disappointing, somehow I expected more." She said almost sweetly.

Klaus gave her an evil grin. It seemed his boredom had come to an end.

* * *

><p>I know there hasn't been much Klaroline, but we're getting there. By the next chapter, they will have plenty of interactions. Also, Bonnie and Elijah will also be featured a lot throughout.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

After their disaster of a meeting, Bonnie flew out of the house with Elijah hot on her heels. "This is going to blow up in our faces, Damon's right." She said not bothering to look behind her. She knew he could hear her.

He was only two steps behind her, though he could keep in step with her, he decided she needed some space. "I completely agree with you and let me remind you I was against this. However, I made my brother a promise. You out of everyone must understand why I couldn't deny him. It's the first time since he turned into a vampire that he did something to protect someone other than himself."

Bonnie stopped walking and turned to face him, "I know why you did it. I get it. I do. I know we're protecting Caroline and trust me, that's the only reason I went along with you guys. But you saw them in there, all they did was trade insults. They hate each other! How is that better?"

He understood her concerns no matter how mistaken they were. He knew his brother and he definitely didn't hate Caroline. In fact, he'd go as far as to say he found her intriguing – which could be a problem. "I don't know Caroline very well, but I can say that Klaus was enjoying the challenge she presented. He never was one for meek women, if anything I'd say she peaked his interest."

Bonnie was now pacing; this was a mess, and it was partially her fault. She didn't know what she expected, but it wasn't the back and forth between her friend and the hybrid. She assumed they'd just avoid each other at least that's what she expected Caroline to do. "What if they start talking and piecing things together?"

Witches were given to worry but Bonnie more than most in Elijah's opinion. "You saw them. I doubt they're making plans to hang out. Stop freaking out, we'll take thing as they come." He said, hoping she picked up on the fact that they were in this together.

Bonnies nerves were frayed, and his words didn't do much to ease her mind. "I need a drink," if nothing else worked tonight she'd resort to alcohol.

Giving her a smile, "now that I can help with. Shall we?"

Bonnie wanted to say no, she was in too deep with vampires as it was, there was no use making friends. Still, somehow, in the past day she felt some camaraderie with Elijah. "Why not, it's not like grams isn't already rolling in her grave."

* * *

><p>"You think witchy and nosferatu are coming back?" Damon asked from his position on the couch. Elena couldn't help but roll her eyes at him, he never took anything seriously. She was not okay with what Bonnie and Elijah had done to Caroline. She also didn't understand the sudden kinship developed between Elijah and Bonnie. Something about those two just didn't sit right with her. It was bad enough that Bonnie barely spoke to her, spending most of her time with Caroline, but now she seemed to be friends with Elijah.<p>

Elijah who was always cordial and honest with her seemed to be off in another world. A world where she was no longer welcomed. She was confused and frustrated by the turn of events. All she wanted was some peace for the people she loved, herself, and even Elijah and his siblings.

"Hey," Damon's voice snapped at her. "Are you trying to find a cure for cancer or something? You've been in a daze for like ten minutes."

Elena stood up, "you're such an asshole sometimes."

Damon watched as she made her way up the stairs to the guest room she was inhabiting. Everyone was on edge, himself included. Something wasn't right, he didn't buy Bonnie's story. It wasn't that he found it implausible. It was how they told it. That story was recited, it wasn't told by two people who were taken off guard. If everyone wasn't so preoccupied finding Esther, they would've noticed it too. He had a feeling that's what they were banking on, the fact that everyone was too busy staying alive to question them. He'd play along, for now, but he would get to the bottom of this. After all, Blondie was made from his blood.

* * *

><p>Caroline was glad to be home. Her nerves were all over the place since leaving the boarding house. She put on a good show today for her friends in front of Klaus. She was never a good liar, so she thought they'd see right through her. However, they still couldn't locate Esther since she was keeping a low profile, so no one really paid her any attention. She didn't know what their next move would be, she knew Klaus was investigating on his free time. She wondered if the rest of the originals did the same – somehow she doubted it.<p>

She felt a presence on her run home. Someone was following her. Surprisingly, though she wasn't concerned she was pretty sure she knew who it was. Though he didn't remember her, she didn't think he'd hurt her. Even without his memories he was still Klaus. She was still drawn to him. The most difficult part wasn't watching him look at her and not seeing any recognition, it was seeing Bonnie and Elijah. Just by looking at her friend, she knew that the guilt, that was currently eating her alive would be enough punishment. Bonnie didn't have her forgiveness yet, but she would eventually. Elijah, she wasn't sure how she felt about the vampire that compelled her, but she couldn't give him much thought. He should have checked her for vervain. Unfortunately, she hadn't taken it the day they came by, but she had the day before. She couldn't explain it, but the compulsion had a minor effect on her and when she woke up this morning, she felt hazy, but her mind cleared up after a short while. When she saw Klaus for the first time she made herself remember what she thought the night, he turned Tyler. Now she just had to play along and keep pretending she didn't know him.

She looked through her things. He did a good job erasing himself from her life. He took everything. Well, everything except the drawing. That was safely tucked away in the box with her favorite boots. She didn't know why she put it there - maybe to ease the guilt over keeping it,but she was glad she did. She may need the drawing later in case she had to bring him back from the dark side.

Klaus watched her pace and go through her clothing; very much like every woman he'd ever met. Every now and then, she looked out as if she knew someone was watching her, but he'd move away fast enough. She was interesting this child vampire. He could kill her in a breath and yet she didn't fear him. She spent most of the meeting shooting him dirty looks and contradicting his every suggestion. At one point he was tempted to snap her neck just to get her to shut up for a while. She would be fun, this Caroline. He'd have to find a way of getting invited into her home.

There wasn't much for her to do the following day. Bonnie and Elijah had the task of finding a reversal bonding spell. Elena was holed up at the boarding house, most likely accompanied by Jeremy and Alaric. She had no idea what things Rebekah and Kol were up to, but she preferred it that way. As for Klaus, he was the wild card. He didn't follow orders, and he didn't particularly like working within a team. For the most part, he set his own pace. There was no controlling him. She just wanted to make sure he hadn't reverted back to killing people, she told herself. It was the only plausible reason for following him today. After all he did have some of his memories removed, what if that affected his behavior. She had no idea where he was going, but they passed the wickery bridge a while back and were now deep in the woods. She made sure to keep a healthy enough distance, so he wouldn't sense her, but close enough to keep him within eye range. She wondered when he was going to stop running, she was starting to feel tired. She should have had a blood bag before leaving her house this morning.

She noticed Klaus was starting to slow down, so she made sure to keep close to the trees. He finally stopped at the center of a clearing. She couldn't get any closer without being discovered so she remained behind the cover of trees and waited. It wasn't long before she saw someone approach Klaus. She could tell he was a hybrid, everything about him screamed faithful servant. She closed her eyes to listen in, but they were speaking too low. She couldn't risk moving any closer, if she made the slightest noise, he'd hear her. The meeting was a quick one, once the hybrid delivered his message, he was gone.

"You can come out of hiding now, love." Klaus, said just loud enough for her to hear. She wondered how long he knew she was there. He turned, facing the group of trees she was hiding behind, a sardonic smile on his face. Taking a breath she came out of her hiding spot and met him in the clearing.

Klaus eyed the pretty blonde in front of him. He was aware that she was following him since he left the town square. At first, he was tempted to snap her pretty neck for daring to follow him, but curiosity took over. He wanted to see if she'd follow him all the way until the end or head back when she realized they'd be out of city limits. Once he realized that she was dedicated to her task, he continued on as if she weren't there. "So, did your friends send you to follow me about?"

She should have known better. Of course, he knew she was there. His senses were higher than any vampire; not only cause he's an original, but because he's also a hybrid. The original Hybrid. "I followed you because I don't trust you, unlike my friends." She tried not to cringe when he smiled at her comment, that wasn't the smile he used to give her. This was not the same man from the ball who admired her, and expressed his interest in her. This was the man who killed Jenna and turned Tyler. This was Klaus without his humanity. What did Bonnie and Elijah do?

"That's a shame, especially since I don't have anything interesting planned. Well not towards you and your friends. Mother, on the other hand…"

Crossing her arms and gathering her courage, "well, what was that about?" She asked keeping her voice steady, thanking god she didn't have a heartbeat.

If she were anyone else, she'd be dead. However, killing her wouldn't help his cause in ending his mother. He also found himself not really wanting to kill her, if he did the intrigue would be gone. "If you really wanted to know you should have done a better job of eavesdropping."

She knew he wouldn't make anything easy. It just wasn't who he was. "If you have nothing to hide, then why can't you tell me? After all we're all in this together."

"I am over a thousand years old. I have plenty to hide." He said snidely.

"That's not very comforting."

"You want comfort? Well, I can think of a few things that would be comforting," he said walking towards her –stopping once he was close enough to touch her. "In fact, I think you may enjoy them immensely."

"You're disgusting," she grumbled pushing him away. His nearness was making her nervous, and she didn't like the way he was looking at her.

"And yet there is something about me, you're drawn to. I mean, why else would you be stalking me if it wasn't your friends who told you to."

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because you followed me home yesterday, and I'm pretty sure you were watching me through my window. Nothing creepy about that, right?" She asked giving him a sweet smile.

She gave herself away when she stepped away from him. She was not as detached from his advances as she pretended to be. "Ah, so you did sense me following you. That's good, you're not as helpless as you seem."

"I'm not helpless at all," she retorted, clearly offended.

"Against me, you are there is no way you can ever win with me, you or any of your friends." His voice held such an intensity that she wondered if he was going to strangle her.

"Is that a threat?" She wasn't about to let him bully her, if he was going to do something, she would go down fighting.

"No, love, simply making an observation is all. You know, if you weren't so grumpy we'd get along quite well."

"I'm not grumpy. I just don't like you."

"Well I suppose you will just have to continue not liking or trusting me. As pretty as your blue eyes are, you won't be getting your way by batting them at me. I am far too old and too wise to be taken in dear."

"I haven't batted an eye towards you and if that's what you're expecting you're going to be sorely disappointed."

Everything about her was a contradiction. At first sight, she seemed sweet, naïve and weak, but there was so much more. "Such fire in one so young, it's remarkable. In fact, I think I'm feeling a bit warm over here. What about you?" He asked, moving in on her once again.

"All I feel is the cold air, nothing else," she said dismissively. She knew if she stepped away from him, she'd be giving him the upper hand.

"You're an awful liar, love. You know I could compel the truth out of you." He said, removing a strand of hair that was caught on her glossed lips.

She was prepared for this. She knew he'd eventually threaten to compel her. Still, even the thought of being compeled turned her stomach a bit. "Good thing I took my vervain this morning." Smacking his hand away from her face.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to compel you. I find myself liking the challenge." He stepped back a bit; he didn't want to overwhelm her too much yet.

"Seriously, can you stop hitting on me. It's not gonna happen, like you said, you're old."

" Yes, yes, an old man trapped in a twenty eight-year-old body. How awful for women kind everywhere," the sarcasm dripping from his voice. "Over a thousand years of experience." He added the last part in a whisper, making it sound like a promise.

She needed to get out of here. Klaus was tempting when he was being sweet and gentleman like courting her, but now he was being smug and cocky, and she was even more tempted. What the hell was wrong with her, she just wanted to keep an eye on him and help him regain the sliver of humanity he'd shown her. She wasn't supposed to be wanting this carnal uncaring Klaus.

"Well if you're not going to share your information with me, then I'm leaving."

"I'll see you at the meeting tomorrow love. You'll get your information along with everyone else at the same time. But, I could be persuaded to tell you now." He said suggestively.

She let out a frustrated huff, "I think I'll wait. Good-bye Klaus."

"Please allow me to escort you home. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you on the way."

Oh good god what had she gotten herself into. She didn't think he'd latch on to her so easily. Especially when she was being nothing but a pain in the ass.

* * *

><p>After hours of searching for a reversal spell, Elijah and Bonnie found themselves back at the Grill. Elijah chuckled to himself as Bonnie became more and more drunk. It took a couple of drinks, but he was finally able to get her to relax. Their search was a successful one and after deciding to wait until the morning to tell his siblings, he found himself once again trying to comfort the witch. Bonnie was still feeling immense guilt and doubt over erasing Klaus' and Caroline's memories.<p>

He, himself had doubted Klaus' plan, but in the end he had no choice but to go with it. It had been too many decades estranged. They had the opportunity now to be what they once were. A family. He wasn't willing to give up on that, and if keeping Miss. Caroline Forbes safe was the way to getting his brother back then he'd move the earth to do so. Perhaps when Esther was taken care of and Klaus had his memories back, they'd be able to rebuild a home. One he assumed would be including Caroline. Only then would he be able to look towards his own happiness, and unlike what he once thought, it didn't lie within the Petrova line. He pushed away his thoughts and brought his attention back to Bonnie. He never believed in mixing with other supernatural beings, he always preferred vampires or humans, but this once he thought he just might make an exception.

The alcohol calmed her nerves and lessened her guilt. She was surprised to be having such a good time with a vampire, with Elijah. She could see now why Elena liked him. She didn't want to think of her friend right now, but she couldn't help it. You would think being torn between two brothers would be enough for one woman, but somehow Elijah managed to find his way into her heart as well. Though, they were currently on the outs – she still felt guilty about the thoughts she was having. Everyday she found herself becoming more and more attracted to him, even though she knew she shouldn't. He was a vampire. Elena liked him. He was Klaus' older brother. At the moment, none of that mattered. He was Elijah, and he was good company; he made her laugh

* * *

><p><em>So this is kind of a shorter filler chapter. Not the best but I needed it to set up the next chapter. I know this fic seems more ElijahBonnie, but bear with me. Klaroline will be the main focus soon. Also, I'm sure you see where I'm taking Bonnie/Elijah by now. Thank you to everyone who reviewed. I'm really glad you guys are enjoying this._

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	5. Chapter 5

He didn't know what it was about the insolent, yellow haired vampire that piqued his interest, but she did. That she seemed to not fear him baffled him. Sure, she was a bit nervous around him, but not frightened. He wasn't sure how he felt about that small fact, after all, he spent centuries' molding his reputation. She didn't utter a word on their walk back into town – yet the silence was not uncomfortable. He wanted to know more about her, but he knew it would be futile to try to engage her in conversation. He could tell that she had already made-up her mind about him. If Elijah were home perhaps he would be able to question him, but his brother was nowhere to be found. It was for the best, he told himself, there was no need to admit to anyone that he was remotely interested in a simple girl. He was better off bidding his time and doing things the old fashioned way. Spying.

He frowned when he remembered the very real threat that his mother posed of his life as well as his siblings. She needed to be dead and soon. Once her body was burned to ash or scattered in pieces throughout the continent, then he could concentrate on the lovely distraction that Caroline presented. He thought about the information he received earlier. He originally had no intention of sharing it with the rest of the vampires, except for his family. Now, however, he was stuck; he knew Caroline would share what she witnessed today. He would have to share his news tomorrow, well, some of it.

Caroline was pacing in her room. She couldn't seem to identify what she was feeling. When Klaus had his memories and chased her relentlessly all she wanted was to be left alone. Now, that he didn't even remember her, she couldn't help but feel disappointed. Gone were his flattering words and longing looks, his promises of a future and traveling across the world, and the unspoken promise of love. He never uttered the words in her direction, but they were there with every promise and look. She knew getting involved with him would be a life-long commitment, one she thought she wasn't ready for. Now, however, that the option had been taken from her, she couldn't help but wonder if she wasn't ready or just scared of giving in.

She walked over to her closet and brought down the shoe box that was hiding her drawing. She wondered if the man that drew this was completely lost. Would Bonnie be capable of restoring his memories? She hoped that he was still in there somewhere, maybe with a little patience, she'd be able to find him again. She'd have to wait until Esther was dealt with first, but after that she didn't think she'd be able to let him walk away forever. Of course now that she couldn't have him is when she could finally admit to herself that she did want him.

Damon hid in the small patch of trees across from Caroline's house. He was going to tell her the truth about her memories being erased, but when he got close to her home, he saw Elijah. He stepped behind the tree before he could be discovered. The original was casually leaning against a tree in front of her house, doing nothing. The guy was just literally staring out into space. It all made sense now. All the times Elijah defended her, the way he made sure she was always teamed up with the strongest of their group. He was keeping her alive and safe, for himself. No wonder he didn't seem concerned about the memory loss, his brother wasn't an obstacle anymore. He wouldn't have to compete with anyone for Caroline's affection. He needed to get back home and fill in Stefan and Elena on his discovery.

The next-day Damon, Elena, and Stefan were waiting for the originals, and Bonnie & Caroline to arrive, apparently Klaus had something to share with them. He was hoping whatever it was it didn't have to do with Blondie and one of their enemies dating. He didn't even know why he was obsessed on whether or not Elijah wanted Caroline. He just knew that he didn't like it. Blondie was supposed to be still hung up on Tyler, not getting to know the big bad.

Bonnie and Caroline walked in with Elijah hot on their heels. "Where is the rest of your family?" Damon asked Elijah, annoyed that he was once again attached to Caroline.

"They should arrive any second," he replied, while greeting everyone.

Caroline frowned as she noticed their faces; they all looked like they were going to the gallows. "What's wrong guys, why the long faces?"

"Can you blame us," Stefan started, "Klaus called an emergency meeting. Does that sound like good news to you?"

She frowned, she wanted to say that if it were really bad, he would have said something yesterday but didn't want to give herself away. "Well, let's not jump to conclusions."

This was beginning to be too much for Elena. This partnership was just to stop Esther, not to make new friends, and if Damon was right… some people were making more than just friends. She didn't know if Caroline was aware of the attraction Elijah had towards her, but she couldn't blame her if she did, and reciprocated it. Elijah out of all the originals was the hardest to resist.

"What a pathetic looking bunch," Klaus' smug voice startled everyone, announcing his arrival.

"Finally," Rebekah said with a slight sneer, "something we can agree on."

"Come now Rebekah, not too long ago you were romping about in the sheets with one of them. Plus, some of them are quite lovely." Kol said, directing his last comment toward Caroline.

Caroline just rolled her eyes at his comment. She knew he was trying to annoy Klaus. It seemed he was successful by the clenching of his jaw. She couldn't help but smile a little, maybe all wasn't lost.

"Enough. I don't enjoy being here and don't see the need to prolong it. I received some information this morning," he said looking over to Caroline to see if she would contradict him, "and it seems that Mother is in Virginia. One of my Hybrids caught her scent in wolf form and found her a few hours away from here."

"When did you receive this tidbit?" Elijah asked suspiciously.

"I got the call this morning. Of course, the idiot lost her, but she's here. I'm sure she will be planning to strike at any moment."

"Well what do we do? How do we kill her? Isn't she a witch and a vampire?" Stefan asked, becoming agitated that she was so close. They didn't have enough time to figure out how to kill her.

Bonnie noticed that everyone was a bit on the edge. She knew how to kill Esther. Her grams came to her in a dream and told her what she needed to know. She didn't share her information with anyone because she knew they'd find a way to ruin her plans. "You guys work on finding her location. I am going back to the witch's house and see whether the spirits will help me out." She lied, throwing Elijah a pointed look.

"I will go with you just in case," Elijah offered.

Damon wondered why he wasn't taking Caroline with them. "Good. Call us as soon as you know anything at all."

"Bon, do you want me to come with?" Caroline asked her.

"No. I think you should stay with Elena and Stefan. If Esther is so close she's gonna need the extra back-up." She said, hoping it was convincing.

"Actually, I need you to go with Rebekah. Kol will stay with Elena, and Klaus you and Damon can continue to search for mother." He could barely contain his smile. If they were to die, he may as well have a little fun before their demise.

Klaus looked at his brother as if he'd grown another head. "Is this a petty attempt at punishing me for daggering you? How do you expect me to work with him and allow him to come back in one piece?"

Elijah shrugged his shoulders, "I don't expect him in one piece, just alive."

"Remind me again why I agreed to allow you to lead this defense?"

"Because you didn't want to deal with it, so now I am doing as you requested. Making sure we dispose of mother while ensuring our own survival," he looked back to the Salvatore's, " and yours as well."

Klaus let out a frustrated sigh and started to walk away. He stopped at the threshold of the door and looked back to Damon. "Are you coming, young one?"

Damon ignored the jab, "I hate you," he whispered as he walked past Elijah.

"The feeling is very mutual." He called out to Damon, who was already outside the house, but he knew he'd hear him.

With a small smile, he directed his question to the people left in the house. "Now children, can I trust that the rest of you will play nicely?"

"Go to hell Elijah, I don't know why I get stuck with the cheerleader." Rebekah said sullenly.

Caroline knew Rebekah didn't care for her, but her comment rubbed her the wrong way. "Oh that's rich, considering it was your goal to take over my life when you first got here."

"Don't flatter yourself, I was just bored, and you were an easy target, still are."

Easy target? It wasn't her fault that she was a young vampire. "Well you would know about being easy, wouldn't you?"

"Enough!" Elijah yelled, both Rebekah and Caroline turned to him shocked. Elijah was always calm and collected never did he lose his temper. "You two are working together for a reason. Finn is too much of a gentleman to be an actual threat to either of you. Your task is to track him down and try to reason with him, make him see that there is a lot this life has to offer him now that he's awake."

"So I'm to appeal to his familial side as his baby sister, and she's what?" She asked her brother confused over Caroline's role in this.

Elijah knew jealousy when he saw it, and he saw in both of the young women in front of him. "She's a lovely young woman who I'm sure knows how to bat her eyelashes and charm a man, even one as rigid as Finn."

Caroline rubbed her arms as if she was chilled, she wasn't so sure about Elijah's impromptu plan. "I don't know if this is such a good idea anymore."

"It's a great idea, at least you'll be useful for something other than annoying me to death." She smirked.

Elijah walked over to Caroline and placed his hands on her shoulders. "You'll be fine. Finn always had a weakness for kind people and you are without a doubt very kind. If you and Rebekah encounter him, all I ask is you try. As it is we have to kill our mother, I would rather not also have to kill our brother."

His words made her feel a little better, and she gave him a small nod. She was still upset with him and Bonnie, but she never was on to hold a grudge.

"Thank you," he said. "Bonnie and I will keep you all informed."

Bonnie looked over at her friend. She couldn't help but be a little worried. "Care, be careful okay."

"I will be, don't worry." She watched as Elijah led Bonnie out. She wondered at their friendship; they seemed to be spending a bit of time together.

"Let's go and try to keep up," Rebekah said, before running out of the house. Caroline didn't even get to say good-bye to her friends as she ran after her to keep up.

"Is it just me or was that the weirdest meeting ever?" Elena asked from her seat.

Stefan just shook his head and went over to the bar to pour a drink.

"I'll have a whiskey while you're at it." Kol said, taking the seat next to Elena on the couch. "I guess we're all going to get to know each other a bit better tonight."

* * *

><p>I'm sorry this chapter took so long. I injured my knee dancing &amp; had surgery about a week after, I have now been in recovery for a little over three weeks, but I'm feeling better now. Sorry this chapter is so short, having the laptop on my lap is uncomfortable after a while. I promise to have the next chapter up within a timely fashion. Thank you all for the lovely reviews.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

Rebekah was not happy about being stuck with the annoying cheerleader whom everyone seemed to fawn over. She just couldn't understand the appeal. Before Nik's memory loss, he was obsessed with the young vampire. On top of her brother's obsession, Matt was extra protective of Caroline even while she was dating Taylor. She noticed Damon's eyes following her around at times, and Elijah even had a soft spot for her. What the hell was wrong with this town? It wasn't as if there was a shortage of women, yet; everyone seemed to only care about Elena and Caroline. It was pathetic. She wasn't jealous, she told herself, she wasn't. She just didn't like to see her beloved brother be constantly rejected and hurt. She didn't like the fact that Matt still cared for his ex, though he told her on several occasions that they were only friends, and Damon, well she just hated him. She was glad she let Caroline drive. She would've crashed by now, consumed in her thoughts. It was true when she first moved here she did want to take over Caroline's life. She had everything – friends, popularity, and a boyfriend who loved her. She was respected by the community. She had magnetism. Rebekah hadn't been blessed with an easy life, like Caroline. It wasn't her fault that she was slightly bitter. What would these Mystic Falls girls really know about pain? None of them had a mother and brother who were trying to kill them, neither were turned to vampires by their mother, or hunted for centuries by their father, nor were they daggered by the one person they trusted the most. No, these girls didn't know true pain, and for that she resented them.

Caroline could see the expressions change on Rebekah's face, and she couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking. Even though she thought Rebekah was a sourpuss, she could understand why she was so bitter. "Penny for your thoughts," she asked trying to break the silence.

Raising an eyebrow at that the cheerleader, "why would you care what I am thinking? Unless, you thought I was planning your demise?" She asked sourly.

Caroline rolled her eyes; she didn't even know why she bothered. "Never mind, I liked it better when you were silent."

"Well now that you've interrupted my musings, you're out of luck."

"Why do you have to act like such a bitch? I was just trying to be nice," she asked frustrated.

"Why would you want to be nice to me? After all, it was not too long ago you were looking for a way to kill me."

Her hands gripped the steering wheel tightly. "We didn't want to kill you. We wanted to kill Klaus. It wasn't personal, and I wasn't a hundred percent supportive of the plan, especially when I realized there was still something human in him. However, as always, I was ignored and the majority ruled I wasn't going to go against my friends."

Rebekah just stared at her for a moment absorbing what she had just told her. "What did you just say?"

Caroline instantly realized her mistake at Rebekah's suspicious tone.

"I was saying that I didn't really want to kill you or your - " she was cut off by Rebekah's claw like fingers wrapping around her neck and squeezing. The car started to swerve when she tried to pry her hands from her throat. Breaking quickly both she and Rebekah flew forward to just be pulled back by their seatbelts.

"Turn off the car, you and I need to have a little chat." She said, easing her grip on Caroline's neck.

Caroline pulled the car over to the shoulder and cut the engine. She was glad the road was empty, and her abrupt stop didn't cause any accidents.

"I can't talk if you're choking me, you know," she rasped.

"You're lucky I haven't decided to kill you. Now we were all under the impression that you had your memories of Niklaus erased, but now I know you have been playing us. Tell me, is this some sort of plan you and that little witch cooked up to use against us later?" She asked squeezing Caroline's neck a little harder. She felt a sick pleasure at watching the young vampire try to struggle against her.

Caroline was starting to see spots, and she knew she'd pass out if Rebekah didn't loosen her hold. "I'll explain but let me go," she asked.

Her grip loosened around the pale neck, just enough so she could speak.

"Bonnie doesn't know. She thinks Elijah's compulsion worked, but I was on vervain. I didn't tell her cause, I was angry at first, but then I figured it was better this way. Klaus really doesn't remember me, at all." She rushed the words out hoping Rebekah would let go of her neck.

"I don't understand, you say Elijah compelled you but he and Bonnie said it was an accident."

"Let me go and I'll explain everything, but you have to keep it to yourself."

Slowly, Rebekah removed her hands from around Caroline's neck and looked at her expectantly. "Start talking."

* * *

><p>"Come now mate, can't you move any faster?" Klaus asked smugly.<p>

Damon knew he shouldn't provoke Klaus, but he couldn't help himself. "You know the only reason you're faster than me is cause you're like over eight hundred years older. If we would've met as humans, I'd be way faster than you."

Klaus abruptly stopped running causing Damon to crash into him, sending him flying to the ground. Klaus couldn't help but smirk at the arrogant young vampire lifting himself off the ground, trying to maintain his dignity. "Is that what you think? Well, let's compare shall we. You came from a wealthy family where you had servants cook, clean, and tend to your needs. I came from a time where we hunted our own food, skinned it, cooked it, used the pelts for warmth. We were real men, you and your brother are boys. You died boys, and you will remain so forever. Also, didn't you defect from the military? That's right, you left your men and came home early. A real hero you are."

"We're boys? That's rich coming from the guy who spent centuries running and hiding from his daddy cause he was scared. Let's not forget I was there when you and Mikael had your reunion. I remember those tears that were making their way down your face."

He sped over to Damon standing just inches apart. "I'll give you credit for your bravery mate, but that's all. Let's not confuse sadness over having the only father known to you out to kill you, for weakness. I don't have a weakness, unlike you, you and your feelings for your brother's girlfriend, the incomparable Elena. Although, I must say the original was the best, the two doppelgangers that followed are sorry replacements. Regardless, your obsession with her makes you weak, see, all I have to do is tell Kol you've angered me and your precious girl and brother are dead. So don't tempt me mate. Elijah may be calling the shots when it comes to the scheming, but I follow no one's orders. I suggest you show some respect to your betters and keep your mouth shut."

"You need us," Damon said, silently hoping he was right.

"I don't need anyone. The sooner you realize that the better off you'll be. Now stop wasting my time with idle chit-chat and run."

Before Damon could respond Klaus was gone, rolling his eyes, he ran after the ancient hybrid.

* * *

><p>"I don't believe this! You must be lying; there is no way that you could mean that much to him." Rebekah yelled in Caroline's face, "you! Of all people, you wouldn't even give him a proper chance. Instead, all you did was whine and complain about your stupid boyfriend Tyler, ignoring Nik." Rebekah was pacing in front of Caroline, not taking the news well. She couldn't understand why her brother would go to such an extreme to protect such a worthless vampire like Caroline.<p>

Caroline thought about running away, but she knew she didn't stand a chance. Besides, she had a job to do, and she was going to do it. Taking down Esther was number one on her list, with or without Rebekah's help. She just wished the spoiled brat would get over it so that they could continue their journey, and finally be free of each other. "Look, I get it. You hate me. I know. We tried to kill you guys, so I understand why you hate us. But Klaus, he tried to kill us first, and he managed to kill people that we love so you can't pretend you don't understand where we are coming from. I may not have siblings, but Bonnie and Elena, are the closest thing to it. So I'm sorry if my rejection of Klaus' courting bothered you, but it wasn't that long ago that you wanted him dead for killing your mother. All I ask is that you keep this a secret until we find Esther. Once she's taken care of do whatever you need to do. Right now, we need to find Finn, and this little detour is preventing us from doing that."

"Oh I will be talking to Nik as soon as this is over, don't you even doubt that. As for your reasons for rejecting my brother, I suggest you look to the company you keep. I hate to break it to you, but those Salvatores are no angels, in fact, they can be worse than us." Caroline watched Rebekah walk back to the car. She reluctantly followed.

* * *

><p>"Do you think Damon is still alive?" Bonnie asked Elijah looking up from the grimore she was reading.<p>

A small smirk appeared on his face, even though he kept his eyes trained on the book he was searching. "Would it be a great loss if he wasn't?" He asked finally looking at her.

Bonnie thought about it for a moment, "probably not, but Elena would be upset."

Elijah threw the book on the ground and grabbed another, "heaven forbid we upset her." He said sarcastically.

Bonnie giggled, "you know I thought you had a thing for her."

Her statement got his attention. She suddenly had his undivided attention. "Why would you think that?"

"Well she always spoke highly of you, and you did try to protect her. In addition, sometimes you'd just look at her weird." She hoped he didn't take her comments as she was trying to pry. She just really wanted to know.

"It's odd; seeing someone who reminds you of your humanity. Tatia, the original doppelganger, she was the love of my human life. It was a great love, one that tore my brother and me apart. When I met Katerina, I will admit I began to feel something for her. She made me feel human again. It was such a foreign concept to me at the time, having been a vampire for centuries. However, where Tatia was dishonest in her love for me and Niklaus, Katerina was devious for her survival. Elena is very different from both yet very similar. When I see her; I remember my times with Tatia. I remember my human life, but I could never be with her because she not only resembles them physically but characteristically too."

"But Elena is nothing like Katherine. Katherine is an evil, selfish, and manipulative bitch that turned my best friend into a vampire."

"Elena shares no personality traits with Katerina, except survival. She may be willing to die for those she loves, but people still die to keep her breathing. With Tatia, on the other hand, they are very similar. Both are loyal to their families, loved by their friends, and torn between two brothers refusing to choose one because they don't want to lose the other."

Bonnie couldn't help but agree with him. Elena wouldn't choose. She would date Stefan and string Damon along, eventually she'd switch, but she'd always be in the same situation. "Well enough about doppelgangers and thanks for answering my questions."

"You don't have to thank me. I enjoy sharing things with you," he said giving her a smile.

Bonnie hoped that he wasn't listening too intently, because if he was he could surely hear her heart speed up. Looking back to the grimore in her hand, she continued turning the pages.

"Bonnie, I found something!" Elijah said, excitingly, getting out of his chair and joining her on the floor.

Looking at the spell he found she expelled a breath, finally. "We got it. We can take Esther down."

* * *

><p>I am so sorry about the wait. It turns out my recovery wasn't going well for a reason, and I went back in for surgery. It seems like the second time is a charm, as I can actually walk around a bit with my crutches. I promise next chapter won't take so long and will be longer. Thanks to all that reviewed! Also, I wrote part of this after taking a pain killer, I am sorry if it's a bit incoherent.<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

Finding Finn was surprisingly easy. Apparently being trapped in a box for almost a century didn't stop you from joining the tech train. All Rebekah had to do was call him on his mobile to set up a meeting. Caroline wondered if her brothers knew that she had such easy access to the eldest Mikaelson though she highly doubted it. She didn't care either way, she just wanted to get this meeting over with hoping that Finn would help them.

They approached a small hole in the wall restaurant that seemed to be deserted. As they got closer she noticed that there was a waitress walking around tending to a single table, where Finn was seated. Before she could reach out to open the door Rebekah turned to her, "don't mess this up. Let me do most of the talking." She said with finality.

Caroline wasn't going to argue with her, this was her brother after all – she knew him best.

Rebekah's demeanor change as they reached Finn. Gone was the sourpuss face, replaced by a very genuine smile. Finn smiled back at his sister, standing to embrace her. He noticed Caroline standing behind her and gave her a confused looked. "Bekah, who's your friend?"

Separating herself from her brother, "this is Caroline. She is a friend of mine from Mystic Falls."

Finn gave her a tight smile, "pleasure to meet you Caroline." His tone indicating it was anything but.

"Likewise," she said, unsure how to act around him. She thought Elijah was the formal and serious sibling, but Finn was much more imposing.

"Please ladies, have a seat," he offered. Waiting until they were both seated to take his own. "So, tell me what you want because I doubt you're here because you missed your big brother."

His implication while true hurt Rebekah, this was not a time for her to get emotional but she couldn't help it. "How can you say that? I missed you everyday that Nik kept you in that coffin, I begged him to release you."

"You may have begged him to release me, but you never tried to release me yourself. It was simple to just pull the dagger from my heart." He said, emotionlessly. Caroline wondered if being trapped for so many years, ceased his ability to show any type of emotion.

"It wasn't that easy Finn. Most of the time Nik kept the coffins hidden from me. The only time I ever saw them was when we were moving around, running away from Mikael."

"Well, that's it isn't. You didn't want to go against Niklaus, whether out of misplaced loyalty or fear. Either way, it does not matter the past can not be undone. However, know this, if it were you in that box – I would have freed you; even if it meant going against Niklaus." He said his voice never wavering.

Caroline couldn't help but feel bad for Rebekah, who currently had tears swimming in her eyes. On one hand she felt Finn was right, she should have tried harder. On the other she understood being afraid of angering Klaus, and being left behind or daggered herself.

"Maybe you should cut her a break. You guys are finally reunited instead of holding onto things, that as you said, you can't change. Take this opportunity to get to know your family again." She said, no longer able to be quiet.

Turning a critical eye to the blonde that he managed to ignore until now. "I don't see how any of this concerns you. In fact, why are you even here?"

"If it doesn't concern me than you shouldn't have this conversation in front of me. Oh, and excuse me for not wanting to watch you bully your sister, who from what I've seen gets enough of that from the rest of your brothers. I am so glad I'm an only child." Caroline said, crossing her arms defensively.

"You're an insolent woman, you know." He said, with the slightest bit of amusement. It was in that moment that she could see the family resemblance. The cheeky smirk that Klaus seemed to wear on a regular basis.

"Layoff, Nik is already trying to sniff up that tree." Rebekah said, not wanting to watch another one of her brothers flirt with Caroline.

Finn studied Rebekah, he wondered if his absence had any baring on her choices in this life she led, controlled by their brother. The jealousy he saw was unnerving, Rebekah was always a sweet girl, picking up strays, helping those around her. "Darling, I have no interest in your blonde friend here." He noticed her posture relax after he made his intentions clear. It seemed his little sister had some security issues with herself.

"Ditto," Caroline muttered from her seat.

"Now back to business, why are you lovely ladies here?" He knew they wanted something that much was obvious.

"We need your help finding mother," His sister, told him.

That wasn't what Finn expected to hear, "Why would I help you with that?"

Rebekah knew it wouldn't be that simple, but she was sure he'd help once she explained to him what their mother was planning. "Because she's not trying to kill just Nik, she wants to end all of us."

Finn contemplated her words, he wasn't really surprised nor could he hold it against his mother. Creating vampires was a grave mistake, one that should be fixed. "Is that really a bad thing? We should allow humans to live without vampires. Haven't we lived long enough, I think it's time for us to perish. I can't help you, I'm sorry." He said getting up from the table.

"Wait," Caroline yelled out before he could walk away. "What about the woman you were in love with? Rebekah mentioned that you turned a woman before you were daggered so you could be together. If your mother succeeds that means she'll die too."

Finn scoffed at Carolines naivete. "I am sure Niklaus killed Sage ages ago. My family hated her, tore us apart. I guarantee you she is dead." He looked to his sister, "Consider this my vengeance on her behalf."

"She's not dead," Rebekah muttered. Looking down at her hands, Sage was always a point of contention for them. She never felt that red headed heathen deserved Finn.

Lower himself to sit down, he asked."How do you expect me to believe you?"

Rebekah wanted to lie to him, tell him that they'd never hurt him in that way but Finn would see through her. "Nik was tempted to kill her, so was I. She turned you against us, she tore our family apart. After Nik daggered you we were going to hunt her down, but Elijah stopped us. He knew that if we harmed her, you'd never forgive us. We'd never be a family again. She's alive, I saw her in the twenties, and I know that Salvatores saw her in the seventies."

Finn was overwhelmed with emotion, everyday he spent in that box he dreamt of her. When he was finally undaggered he didn't bother looking for her, he was sure she was dead."That's a long time ago, how can you be sure that she is still alive?"

Caroline couldn't believe her ears, the more she learned about the Mikaelsons the less they made sense to her.

"Elijah, he's kept watch over her through out the years. He knew that one day you would want to reunite."

Though he felt relief he was hesitant to be happy. Until she was in his presence he'd consider her dead, it was the only way he could survive. "Find her, bring her to me and I will help you. I know where mother is hiding."

"That might take time, time we don't have," Caroline protested.

"That is unfortunate because that is the only way I'll help you."

"What if we can prove it another way?" Rebekah asked.

Finn wouldn't accept anything less than proof of life, for that he'd have to see her for himself,"like?"

"We can call her so you can talk to her," Caroline added, when he shook his head no she came up with another idea. "We can video chat. That way you can talk to her and see her. She can come to you and you can help us."

If this was the only way to see Sage again, then Finn would go along with it. "I suppose we better go see Elijah, but if this is some sort of game, you will regret it.

* * *

><p>Klaus and Damon were unsuccessful in finding Esther. They went to the area his hybrid last detected her but all trace of her was gone now. Klaus was frustrated with this fools errand and the company he was forced to keep.<p>

"This is pointless," Klaus began, "lets head back. Perhaps Elijah and Bonnie have found something."

Damon was glad to be going back home, he never wanted to spend this much time with Klaus ever again. Still, he couldn't help but stir the shit a bit. "So... Elijah has been all up in Blondie's business lately, you think he's got the hots for her?"

Klaus didn't bother to look back at him, "Elijah is a complex man, as he likes to put it. Caroline has many qualities he enjoys, but in case you haven't noticed..." He stopped so he could turn and face Damon, "he has a soft spot for witches."

Damon felt like the wool was lifted from his eyes. How did he not see it before, sure, Elijah spent a lot of time with Blondie but Bonnie was always around. In fact he couldn't remember the last time he saw them both separately. Luckily Bonnie hated vampires, dating an Original would be sacrilegious. "Well witchy doesn't like the vamps, so I'm gonna say that Elijah is outta luck."

"Is that what you think?" Klaus asked walking away from him. "Because the way I see it, she isn't too opposed to his proximity. In fact they seem to spend quite a bit of time together, more than necessary."

"Yeah, well, Bonnie is as rigid as they come. I say she will turn your brother down flat," he spat, while trying to keep up with Klaus.

Klaus didn't care what Damon thought or predicted. Damon was an idiot that much was proven to him on various occasions. "Don't underestimate Elijah, all women no matter how virtuous, tend to have a soft spot for him. How could they not? Elijah prides himself on being a gentleman, he still believes in the old ways."

"Yeah, I guess we'll see won't we?"

"Yes," he said, his voice full of mockery, "you will."

* * *

><p>Elijah and Bonnie were going over the spell, it was risky. Not only would she need blood from each of them, she also needed blood from Esther. They needed to find a way to subdue her long enough to extract it from her. Once Bonnie had all the blood, she'd drink it in order to consume their essence, after that she'd remove Esther's power making her vulnerable to death. The problem was that her power would transfer to Bonnie. It would be unnatural and she'd die within minutes. One witch would not be able to sustain that much power, her body wouldn't be able to handle it. They had to find a way to transfer the power from Bonnie to something else before she combusted. One option would be to feed her blood after stealing Esther's power and killing her before the magic could, resulting in her being a vampire but he knew she'd never agree to it. He was pulled from his thoughts when his phone began to ring, "please tell me good news, Rebekah."<p>

"I have both good and bad," she said. "Finn is with us, he said he'll help us as long as we provide him with Sage. He wants to see her, preferable in person, but he says he would accept a video chat so long as she is in his presence within a day."

"Tell Finn I will make it happen, in fact I will contact her now." He said hanging up.

"Everything okay?" Bonnie asked looking up at him from where she sat on the floor.

"Fantastic actually, it seems like things may work out after all." He really hoped they would. He excused himself so he could contact Sage, but he also needed to call a friend.

* * *

><p><em>So sorry about the long ass wait. It has been an insanely crazy year for me, one that just started to calm down a bit. I know this is short but I wanted to get something out for this fic. I promise not to make you wait so long again.<em>

_Enjoy!_


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